This paper investigates how hospital affiliation in a multi-hospital system (contract managed, owned, sponsored), the number of system hospitals, HMO and PPO contracts, and other factors, impacts hospital cost efficiency. Using a 1996-1999 panel of 248 hospitals, results show that for urban hospitals, increasing the number of hospitals in the system, system ownership and contract management/spo...

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the nature of the American system of manufactures in a descriptive and critical manner, to analyze its entrenched paradigm, and then to uncover its rational inadequacy. In particular, the paper first describes the dominant model embodied in the American system in terms of job design, organizational structure, and organizational technology, and reveals its...

The use of endurance regimens could be improved by defining their respective effectiveness on aerobic fitness and brain health that remains controversial. We aimed at comparing work-matched high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with moderate-intensity continuous (MICT) performance muscular plasticity markers in healthy rats. Cognitive functions were also investigated following the 8-week trai...

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological studies have reported that greater cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with lower blood pressure (BP). Histamine receptor-mediated peripheral vasodilation contributes to post-exercise hypotension and lowing exercising BP responses. Previously, our laboratory found overactive responses exercise were induced by the inability of histamine receptors in indivi...

Managing knowledge efficiently and effectively is considered a core competence for organizations to survive in the long run. The capability of organizations to leverage their knowledge resources seems to be one of the most important parameters from the strategic perspective. Nevertheless, the evolution and implementation of Knowledge Management (KM) is still in its infancy in Turkey, leading to...

Complete genomic sequence data are stored in the public GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ databases so that any investigator can make use of the data. This report describes a comparative analysis of codon usage that is impossible without such a public and open data system. A limited number of bacteriophages harbor their own transfer RNAs. Based on a comparison between T4 phage-encoded tRNA species and the rela...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on tumour growth of gemcitabine delivered by aerosol in an orthotopic model of lung carcinoma. Large cell carcinoma (NCI-H460) cells were implanted intrabronchially in 24 male BALB/c nude mice on day (d) 0. Aerosols were delivered once a week from d1 to d29 using an endotracheal sprayer. Altogether, 16 animals received gemcitabine at 8 (n=8) and ...

Naturally occurring proteins in cellular networks often share peptide motifs. These motifs have been known to play a pivotal role in protein interactions among the components of a network. However, it remains unknown how these motifs have contributed to the evolution of the protein network. Here we addressed this issue by a synthetic biology approach. Through the motif programming method, we ha...

Better prognostic markers are needed for hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients. No single biochemical or clinical parameter can reliably predict patient response to therapy or rapidity of disease progression. Peptide factors involved in major cancer growth pathways, such as tumor angiogenesis, are attractive candidates as markers of low- and high-risk HRPC patients. We analyzed pro...

This study evaluated the long-term cutaneous tolerance of a 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate spray (Cortavance®; Virbac) in dogs. Four healthy Beagle bitches were sprayed once daily for 56 days at label dose (260μl/100 cm2) on one-third of the body surface, at a distance of 10 cm from clipped skin areas. The animals were examined daily for general clinical signs and reaction at application site...